The Moonlight Swordsman

Aizel stood there, staring at the wolves' burnt black corpses. They were about to tear him from limb to limb just a minute ago, but now they're burned from the inside out.

A person appeared from behind, with a small amount of smoke residue clearly visible on her hands, indicating that she was the one responsible for the fireballs that burned the wolves.

"Looking at you, I'd say you're lucky to have only gotten a burn on your leg. Take this and apply it to the burned area on your leg."

The person smiled and handed over a little glass tube containing a green liquid.

"uhh.. Thank you for rescuing me."

Aizel said this while faking a smile to avoid looking like an idiot.

"I'm Larisa, and we should go if we don't want additional uninvited guests to arrive."

"I am Aizel."

He glanced at the woman in front of him. She was about 6 feet tall, with her magnificent crimson hair flowing down to her waist, and she was dressed in a scarlet robe that revealed every curve on her body. She has an hourglass figure that any man would die for.

Aizel carefully applied the green liquid to the burnt region; as soon as the liquid touched the scorched skin, the skin began to mend, and after 10 seconds, the left leg was completely healed without leaving a burn mark.

"This appears to be a healing potion." Aizel glanced at the bottle with glittering eyes; definitely, he was in a fantasy world where magic and potions were used. He pondered what else this world had to offer—whether it was a dream or not, it was better than his mundane reality.

"Can I use magic as well? I can't wait to learn more." Aizel pondered with a smile on his face, evidently enjoying the predicament he was in.

"We should now move on."

Larisa started reminding him that they were still in a dangerous situation.

Aizel nodded in agreement and began following behind the lady while inspecting his surroundings. He was aware that even though they were progressing, they were still in a risky spot.

"Are we heading to a nearby town?" While thinking about the boy who told him about the town, Aizel sighed in regret and asked.

"Not right now; I'm staying in a cave nearby. I need to get some of my belongings and equipment. If we walked, it would take us roughly 4 hours to reach the closest town from the cave."

Larisa responded with a mischievous smile on her face.

Aizel nodded in agreement, not thinking about it too much.

***

They arrived at Larisa's place of abode after a two-hour journey, during which time neither of them spoke to the other. Aizel was still working through the process of understanding what was happening to him. He wanted to know more about this world, magic, and everything else, but he held off since he needed to be cautious.

First, he must determine whether he is simply dreaming or has somehow been teleported to another world. He is unsure about Larisa's reaction if he revealed his otherworldly origins or began asking about magic in general. He should first start learning more about the world, and that town would be the ideal location for that.

As they entered the cave, Aizel observed that it was much larger than he had imagined. Inside, there was a tent in the center, surrounded by some crates and a chest, with a wood-burning fireplace to keep you warm. There were some swords and spears lying near the crates.

"I have some fish with me; let's grill and eat first, and then I want you to answer some of my questions, Lord Aizel'."

Larisa said as she walked up to the fireplace and began stacking wood to make a fire to grill the fish she had.

Aizel nodded in agreement and found a place near the fire to sit.

He was exhausted a little bit from the journey and all the running and fleeing, which had also left him hungry.

"According to your appearance, you appear to be a noble. Which family do you come from? I know some noble families in nearby towns and cities. I can help you find them."

With a genuine smile on her face, Larisa said. She clearly wanted to help Aizel.

Meanwhile, Aizel was staring behind the tent at what appeared to be cage. He can clearly see lifeless human bodies lying on the ground as if their blood had been sucked out of them. He certainly heard it. Larisa asked him several questions. She assumed he was a noble because of the way he was dressed and appeared.

Aizel was deep in thought about how he should respond to her, given that he doesn't even belong in this world. He is unaware of the noble families, and what about the people in the cages? Are they dead? What has she done to them?

Larisa noticed Aizel staring at the cages and knew what he was thinking.

"Don't worry; they're not dead, and they're bandits. I caught them when they tried to rob me, but they clearly didn't know what was good for them."

"So, would you mind answering my previous questions?"

"Umm, the thing is that I don't remember anything," Aizel said with a dull look on his face.

"I...found myself lying near the lake when wolves suddenly came and began pursuing me. Then you appeared and saved me. When I think back on the circumstances that led up to now, I wonder how I got here, where I am, and where I belong. My head began to hurt, like if 1000 needles were piercing it repeatedly when I tried to remember myself or the situation I was in."

Aizel stated while eating the fish, still with a gloomy face.

"It seems like someone has erased your memories, or you have lost them somehow."

Larisa appeared to be in deep thought and then continued.

"So, what more do you recall?"

"What makes you think your name is Aizel?"

Larisa fired questions one after another, clearly wanting to know more about his condition.

"I.. don't know. I just know my name is Aizel." Aizel stated with a frustrated expression on his face.

"Well, that's good. Now I am pretty sure that no one will come to help you." Larisa replied to Aizel while curling her lips upward in a creepy manner.